Chinese Buddhism

All posts tagged Chinese Buddhism

In the preceding posts of the Chant – A – Mantra series where I talked about the Daily Mantras to Chant, which is basically the everyday mantras that I chant, I talked about the 3 Main Buddhas of Chinese Buddhism and the 4 Main Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism. The first seven Buddhas and Bodhisattvas whose mantra I wrote about are what you call universal mantras, although I did still wrote about what they are really good for.

On this third part of the Daily Mantras to Chant of the Chant – A – Mantra series I would like to talk about the two other mantras that I chant daily specifically for protection, for business or career and wealth. Both Bodhisattvas are highly revered, one in Chinese Buddhism and the other one in Tibetan Buddhism. But when I mentioned them to my friends and other readers whom I have met in person, the most question they ask is whether they are one and the same.

Although what we normally hear is simply the word Bodhisattva, strictly speaking there are two types of Bodhisattva, and they are Bodhisattva and Bodhisattva Mahasattva. Bodhisattva Mahasattva is considered higher in rank as oppose to an ordinary Bodhisattva. Vajrapani Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. Now I would like to make it clear that this difference in ranking is very little, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, I believe don’t look at it that way.

Chanting the mantras of Bodhisattva Sangharama (also known as Qie Lan Pu Sa, Kuan Kong, Guan Gong, Kuan Yu, Guan Yu) and Bodhisattva Vajrapani will provide protection, but more than that it will also shower us with blessing of wealth and good business or good career. This blog is actually full of stories of people who got a lot of blessing from Bodhisattva Vajrapani, thru the Vajrapani Ruel.

In the preceding post, I briefly talked about the importance of chanting mantras daily. Sometimes, chanting mantras takes getting used to and the more we do it, the more we get used to it, the more it is easier for us to learn new mantras. But more than that, chanting mantras should be considered like taking vitamins, we have to take it everyday for us to build resistance, and in this case resistance to negative chi. Furthermore, aside from building resistance to negative chi or negative energies, chanting mantras daily makes us more attuned to the cosmic energy of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas whose mantra we are chanting, not to mention it makes more attuned to the cosmic energy in general.

While we won’t be able to recite the entire mantras daily, because some of them are long and there are really a lot of mantras available for us. Chanting daily mantras of selected Buddhas or Bodhisattvas will also make us, as mentioned earlier, more attuned with the cosmic energy, to the divine cosmic energy of the world of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in such a manner that when we have to chant a specific mantra for a specific purpose, because we already have a ‘relationship’ with the divine cosmic energy, it is easier for us to be attuned to the energy of the new mantra we are chanting, even this is for only a specific purpose.

Yesterday, I shared with you the initial list of the mantras I chant daily. Namely of the 3 main Buddhas of our time and they are Amitabha Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha (Sakyamuni Buddha) and the only celestial Buddha among the three, Medicine Buddha.

Note: Medicine Buddha is the simplified name. Medicine Buddha’s formal name is Bhaisajya – guru – vaidūrya – prabhā – raja or King of Medicine Master and Lapis Lazuli Light. His Tibetan common name is Bhaisajyaguru.

Today, allow me to share with you the other mantras that I chant everyday. They are 4 Main Buddha of Chinese Buddhism, especially for Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.

Note: Zen Buddhism although has Japanese name actually started in China. It’s the English-speaking world that ‘popularized’ Zen Buddhism, but in reality it is called Chan Buddhism.

THE 4 MAIN BODHISATTVAS WHOSE MANTRAS I CHANT EVERYDAY ARE THE FOLLOWING:

NAMO DA PEI KWAN SHI YIN PU SA & OM MANI PADME HUM (Mantra of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kuan Yin) – Kuan Yin (also known as Avalokitesvara, Kannon, and also spelled as Guan Yin, Kwan Yin, Gwan Yin) is more popularly known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Sometime people also refer to her as the Buddha of Compassion (although she is not a Buddha) or Goddess of Mercy (although she is also not a Goddess). I have written about Kuan Yin Bodhisattva many times, so I will put the link to those articles below. But it should be noted that perhaps Kuan Yin Bodhisattva is perhaps the most famous and most revered Bodhisattva in all lineage and school of Buddhism. She has become so famous that even the Taoist has adopted her as one of their Goddess. I personally make sure that I always chant her mantra.You can read more about Kuan Yin Bodhisattva by clicking on the links below:

NAMO DA YUAN DI ZHANG WANG PU SA and OM AH KSTIGARBHA THALENG HUM and OM PRA MANI DANI SOHA (Mantra of the Bodhisattva of Great Vow, Ksitigarbha) – Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is known to have committed to the Buddha that he will not enter Buddhahood unless he has freed all sentient beings from hell or from being a hungry ghost. This is his great vow. Chanting his mantra will help ensure that we are freed from suffering and help ensure a good rebirth. To under stand Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva better please read: Ksitigarbha Buddha is a Bodhisattva Who Vowed to Help All Those Who Suffer in Hell and In this World.

Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

NAMO DA XING PU XIAN PU SA and OM AH HUM AH A KAR SA LE OD A YANG OM DU (Mantra of the Bodhisattva of Great Conduct, Samantabhadra) – Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva known for her great conduct. She is also known as the Bodhisattva of Truth, because it is her sincerest desire the real truth be exposed does she has the famous TEN GREAT VOWS OF BODHISATTVA SAMANTABHADRA, where in each item of those vows has something to do with the permanent truth of Buddhism.

Manjushri is a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha. He is also a great Bodhisattva.

NAMO DA ZHI WUN SHU SHI LI PU SA and OM A RA PA CHA NA DHI (Mantra of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri) – Manjushri Bodhisattva (also spelled as Manjushree) is a Bodhisattva known for his commitment to make all sentient beings attained the perfect wisdom or full enlightenment. He is usually depicted holding a sword and a sutra book. The sword represents the slashing of false knowledge, and the sutra book represents that we are only able to attained perfect wisdom with the help of the sutra or words of the Historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Chanting the mantra of Bodhisattva Manjushri will help us attain wisdom and guide us in making our daily decisions.

So you see, aside from the mantras of the 3 main Buddhas of our time, I also chant the mantras of the 4 main Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism. But that’s not all, in my succeeding posts, I will share with you the other mantras I chant everyday.

Since what I post here are written and are on automatic – scheduled posting I have no way as to whether the ‘Recite A Sutra’ series will be receiving a positive response. However, I truly believe that this series is one of the best series I have written because tapping into the power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas thru the sutras are free and you need not make any donations, not to mention that they are very effective, all you have to do is invest some time for it. But of course, before you recite a sutra you will have to remember is that is better to chant them loudly and it is also quite good to memorize them so you can chant the sutra by heart. In doing this, you will immediately multiply the merit in reciting the sutra by a hundred – fold. Before you move forward I suggest that you read the post called – INVITE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS BY RECITING A SUTRA!

Today, allow me to share with you one of my favorite sutra and that is THE DIAMOND OF PERFECT WISDOM SUTRA more popularly and simply called as THE DIAMOND SUTRA. This sutra, aside from THE HEART SUTRA, is one of the most highly revered sutra in both Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. The sutra is also called as THE VAJRA CUTTER PERFECTION OF WISDOM SUTRA or THE VAJRA SUTRA or THE VAJRA CUTTER SUTRA.

As mentioned, 99% of the sutras are the Buddha’s teaching to his disciples or heavenly beings, and THE DIAMOND SUTRA is no exception, however, what is so great with THE DIAMOND SUTRA is that simply reciting the sutra brings tremendous amount of blessings of auspiciousness, and if one recites it by heart and understand the sutra the blessings are further multiplied and promises enlightenment to those who practices it.

Furthermore, simply having the sutra at a certain place, this makes the place really holy and should be considered as a holy ground like the stupas and should be venerated with incense and offerings. The Buddha also akin it to like have the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in that place. It is that holy and powerful!

At the very least, reciting the sutra promises one a good life. But it guarantees protection and tremendous amount of blessings. This is why I personally recite this everyday!

Like any mantra it one should invoke Shakyamuni Buddha first then recite the SUTRA OPENING GATHA.

Click here to download the mantra – The Diamond Sutra – this version is the translation made by Chung Tai, which is a Zen Buddhism Lineage.

This is a post inspired by a reader who contacted me thru email several months ago but we were only able to talk recently. CT is a businesswoman in Makati who after moving to their new office experienced a very significant decline with her sales.

The Vajrapani Ruel looks simple, maybe even rustic, but this simple amulet is packed with a special talisman paper inside, with various ingredients, which includes Namtso Salt, soil, various herbs and plants, crystal, and a relic from a high lama. It’s important to put the ruel inside a amulet holder or something sturdy as to not ruin it. If the cloth had tear which exposes or spill the ingredients inside, the ruel becomes useless. The Vajrapani Ruel itself is only about 1 to 2 inches and it varies from one ruel to another.

Nevertheless, I’m not writing about her story, but she did gave me an idea that I should I write about this particular post.

A lot of people believe that the Vajrapani Ruel(1) is a very good amulet to enhance financial luck or wealth luck. I think this is a wrong perception, it is a misconception, however, I really can’t blame them because most of my Vajrapani Ruel(2) stories that I write about are of readers or people who has the Vajrapani Ruel(3) then they get some miraculous wealth gains. Nevertheless, to be fair, I also wrote about Vajrapani Ruel(4) miraculous stories that have nothing to do with wealth luck or financial gain. But I think sometimes it is easier to remember the stories that involves money luck because I think as evidenced by the top reason why people request for the Vajrapani Ruel, financial problem is one of the most common concern of not just my readers but a lot of people.

The question then is amulets like the Vajrapani Ruel(5) are for us to enhance our wealth and financial luck? Is this why they are created?

I mentioned CT, and she sent me a link on a person asking another Buddhist blogger about the Vajrapani Ruel(6). What really caught my attention is not the fact that the person is asking about the Vajrapani Ruel(7) authenticity but more of she stressed on the fact whether amulets can give financial or wealth luck.

In Feng Shui there are special Feng Shui charms specifically for wealth luck and financial luck. These are charms that are designed to help a person gain more wealth and money. Taoism, on the other hand has gods or deities that are usually prayed on or displayed to enhance wealth luck, but are not solely for that purpose. In Buddhism, there are also wealth deities like Dzambhala (also spelled as Jambhala) but to say that there very existence is to give us wealth and financial luck is wrong.

So again we go back to the question whether some amulets are designed specifically for financial and wealth luck.

In Thailand, there are amulets that are specifically for wealth luck, but in Tibetan or Chinese Buddhism, I don’t think that there is such an item. So to answer directly, the Vajrapani Ruel(8) is not an amulet designed for wealth luck. Its primary purpose is for protection, be it protection against evil spirits, accidents, or misfortune. However, in the process, protection can be quite broad. For example, the Vajrapani Ruel(9) may protect you from bankruptcy, and maybe the way for the Vajrapani Ruel(10) to give you that is to enhance your wealth luck. It can also be said it protects you from not getting what is rightfully yours, such as the story of KP. He simply got his inheritance at the time that he really needs.

But needless to say I cannot pretend to know and be able to answer all questions. Why is it then some people get financial blessings even if they are not in any danger of going bankrupt? This I don’t have an answer. I can only presume that they are simply getting what they truly deserve.

When I first wrote about the Vajrapani Ruel and how it is considered as one of the most powerful amulet in the Buddhist pantheon a lot of people started requesting for it. However, when I wrote about the Surangama (also spelled as Shurangama) Mantra Amulet and how by wearing it you have all the Heavenly Beings that has an affinity with you surround you, readers and friends started asking me as to which of the two is a more powerful or better amulet. To be more specific some of them are even asking as to when can one use the Vajrapani Ruel and when can one use the Surangama Mantra Amulet.

First, which of the two is more powerful and may be considered as the “better” amulet?

The Vajrapani Ruel looks simple, maybe even rustic, but this simple amulet is packed with a special talisman paper inside, with various ingredients, which includes Namtso Salt, soil, various herbs and plants, crystal, and a relic from a high lama. It’s important to put the ruel inside a amulet holder or something sturdy as to not ruin it. If the cloth had tear which exposes or spill the ingredients inside, the ruel becomes useless. The Vajrapani Ruel itself is only about 1 to 2 inches and it varies from one ruel to another.

There is no easy way to answer this because they both had some miraculous stories and who is to say that one miraculous story of a person is better than that of the other. They also belong to different lineages. The Vajrapani Ruel is Tibetan Buddhism, and the Surangama Mantra Amulet is Chinese (strictly) Buddhism to be more specific Pure Land Buddhism.

However, the Vajrapani Ruel is rarer because it is only made every once a relic from a high lama becomes available which is one of the key ingredient of the Vajrapani Ruel. In fact, the last Vajrapani Ruel before the one that was released this year was made approximately half a century ago. It can only be made inside Tibet by high tantric lamas and since the invasion of China; it has become harder to make the Vajrapani Ruel and to bring it out of Tibet. You can read my post – THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL AMULET IN THE BUDDHIST PANTHEON CALLED VAJRAPANI RUEL – to know more about it.

On the other hand, the Surangama Mantra Amulet is more common but for it to be truly powerful one must have it blessed by a high-ranking Pure Land Buddhist monk. And it is believed that upon wearing the Surangama Mantra Amulet, Heavenly Beings that has an affinity with the wearer will hover over the person. Some say it is simply the energies of the said Heavenly Beings.

Second, when can one use the Vajrapani Ruel and when can one use the Surangama Mantra Amulet?

This is a sample of the older version of the Surangama Mantra Amulet. The newer one is smaller and has a glass case.

Again, there is no direct answer for this. I can go through how the Vajrapani Ruel, which is made under the power or energies of Bodhisattva Vajrapani, is good for business, for money, for protection, because it is has a lightning symbol and it is a wrathful image. However, it is tantamount to saying that they have specific roles. The truth is a Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva and they can do whatever they want. We cannot limit them. To make it clearer, for Catholics, if we say that San Pedro Calungsod is the patron saint of the overseas workers does it mean that we can only pray to him in relation to overseas workers problems? Plus, some of the testimonials on the Surangama Mantra Amulet have also shown that despite of the fact that it is not known for having wrathful images that usually represents wealth luck in Buddhism it does attract money also by giving the person wearing it to have a positive aura.

So I guess, I’m really unable to answer these questions directly. But what I want to say is that whatever amulet you have it is important that once you experienced a miracle, one must be able to learn to give thanks to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And one more important thing, no amount of amulet will ever be better than a good heart.

Today, allow me to elaborate it a little on how can one use Feng Shui, Buddhism, and Taoism in dealing with depression. However, it should be noted that this is not an alternative or replacement, this is only a ‘supplement’ but if one is depressed one should always reach out to others and get professional help. That’s the most important thing one can do.

Having said that, allow me to briefly share that Feng Shui, Buddhism, and Taoism ways to dealing with depression.

FOR FENG SHUI.

Make sure that your room or house is well lit and please put about a tablespoon of rock salt or sea salt in all corners of the house or room. Make sure that when sleeping your head is not facing towards the window. Listen to positive, happy music.

Wear a pendant with the image of KUAN YIN, MEDICINE BUDDHA, or SUN WUKONG.

Light some incense.

FOR TAOISM.

Take a bath in a tub with a cup of rock salt or sea salt. While in a tub you can also light some red or white candles and try to put flowers in your surrounding.

Offer some fruits and flowers to THE GREAT SAGE, EQUAL OF HEAVEN SUN WUKONG, as mentioned in my previous post, SUN WUKONG exist both in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism. SUN WUKONG, is a happy god and if you’re familiar with his life story, he always uplifts those who are with him. Wearing an image of SUN WUKONG also helps a lot!

Light some incense.

But remember these are just ‘supplements’ only. The best way to deal with depression is to reach out and get professional help.

So far, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas I’ve written about here are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that are recognized both in Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. However, now, allow me to introduce to you one of the most powerful Goddess in Tibetan Buddhism that is not highly recognized in Chinese Buddhism. I’m talking about Goddess Tara!

I don’t really know why is it when Buddhism was first brought to China; the belief in Tara was never really embraced. Theoretically speaking, Goddess Tara is older than Kuan Yin in the sense that Goddess Tara has existed in India and Tibet before Buddhism was introduced in China. Of course, to clarify, this is only true in the sense that Kuan Yin who in reality is Avalokitesvara really started in China. However, if you look at Kuan Yin as Avalokitesvara, which should be the case, then Kuan Yin is older than Goddess Tara. To understand better what I’m talking about here please read my earlier post called – UNDERSTANDING MERCY AND COMPASSION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AVALOKITESVARA TO KUAN YIN.

Goddess Tara is a very powerful Goddess or Buddhist Deity. She is often called ‘The Swift Liberator’, ‘The Mother of Swift Liberation’, ‘The Goddess of Mercy and Action’, ‘The Goddess Who Saves’. This is because Goddess Tara has always been swift in liberating the people who ‘go’ to her in any kind of problems. She’s also called as ‘The Goddess Who Saves’ because she is sure to save people who are in trouble.

There are different manifestations of the Goddess Tara, which I’ll be writing about in the future.

Tara means ‘Star’ or ‘She who ferries’. This means Goddess Tara helps acts as a focal point that guides us in our lives to choose the ‘right direction’. If you’re unsure of what to do or if you have to choose from 2 different decisions, asking Goddess Tara’s help will direct you to the better path.

Goddess Tara is also called as the ‘Goddess Who Saves’ because in Buddhism it is said that Goddess Tara has committed us from the Eight Great Terrors. The 8 Great Terrors in modern times refers to any kind of spiritual and physical danger.

The Goddess Tara is also known as the Swift Liberator because it is said that if you need something that’s urgent, Goddess Tara is the one who can swiftly help us.

The other name for Goddess Tara is Green Tara because she is usually pictured as a green – colored Deity.

She is usually portrayed as a young woman; some say she is a 16-year-old woman, clad in silk. For me, Goddess Tara’s energy is very lively and she’s quick to response. Goddess Tara holds a blue lotus called an Uptula in her right hand, her hand is in the vitarka or teaching mudra. One of her legs is seen dangling, which signifies that she is quick to respond.

The story on how Goddess Tara came into being is in itself strong and powerful. It also accurately describes Goddess Tara. It is said that one day, Avalokitesvara, the original male form of Kuan Yin, was looking into the world with his infinite compassionate heart. He saw people suffering from old age. He saw the pain of those who are sick and those who are facing death. He saw the pain of those who are in need of material things and physical sustenance. He saw the hardship of people who wants to attain enlightenment. He saw the desire of the people to achieve happiness but instead because of ignorance gain more hardships and sufferings.

Avalokitesvara recognized his vast amount of energy to help this people, but he also saw that the number of people who are in need of his help is even greater. Because of this he was filled compassion and began to weep.

Out of his tears, a celestial lake was created, and from this lake arose Tara. She was created out of Avalokitesvara’s compassion and magical tears. She was created to help us.

Initially, I wanted to call this post – MY LIBERATOR, THE GODDESS TARA, because that’s how I truly feel about her. The first time I heard and came across Goddess Tara, I already felt an instant affinity towards her. I immediately have a deep reverence towards her. Nevertheless, I felt her infinite power at a time when I have to decide whether to continue work at the PR firm that I worked for or just to leave and join our family business.

Deep in my heart I really know that it’s time for me to leave the company that I’m working for. While I was trusted and given the liberty to run a business unit that is worth three million pesos a month, my boss is also making life hard for me. She is a very ‘envious’ woman. She gets jealous if we ran into clients, and because she don’t see them, they naturally would say ‘Hi’ to me first before acknowledging her. She would question me as to why the clients would greet me first and acknowledge her after. Furthermore, I also felt I was not properly being compensated. To makes things worst my nephew thought that I only go home on weekends! He had this impression because he doesn’t see me come home, and he doesn’t see me leave the house. I was so busy that I’d go home at around 11PM or 12MN and leave around 6AM. It felt like I was a boarder in our house. I also notice that slowly my family has stopped inviting me to dinner because they felt that I wouldn’t be able to make it anyway.

The worst is I don’t like my boss. I don’t like how she treats her employees, her clients, and even the media who really is the lifeline of her business. She feels that everybody can be bought with money or with designer bags or clothes or trips abroad! In fact, to this day I still have recordings for her saying nasty things against our clients and the media!

I love my job but I know I have to leave. But, what do I do after I leave? Will I be happy to if I join our family business? Reviewed by luck pillar for that year and showed something big is about to happen in about 2 months time…something good. But what is that? I also know that there is the holy trinity of luck – Heaven, Mankind, and Earth. The indication of the Heaven’s Luck is something big and good is about to happen but what if I make a mistake and ruined that luck.

I prayed to Goddess Tara and she put everything in order. She gave me the courage and a reason to resign. That’s the easiest part. What about what should I do next? I resigned without being sure what to do next; I just trust that my Bazi is right, and that I’ll supplement everything with proper Earth Luck, which is Feng Shui. But Goddess Tara again made sure that my ‘liberation’ would be perfect. I was already thinking of joining our family business, when I started getting calls from clients from my previous employers. They all basically said the same thing, they are resigning and terminating the contract with my previous employer and they hope that I can still work with them. I told them I’m planning to join my sister with our family business, and they all again more or less responded the same manner. They all said that whether I choose to work with them or not, they’ll be resigning their PR agency, my former employer. They also added that they hope they can still work with me, if not, can I recommend another PR for them.

I realized that this just might be the thing for me. Maybe this is my next stage! I did an oracle, both inquiring with Kuan Yin and Goddess Tara whether I should just put up my own marketing and PR consultancy company. Both oracles showed an affirmation.

Without looking for clients, I actually have 5 accounts already, and they’re all from my previous employer. But then I felt it was quite unethical for me to sign on the accounts from my previous company, but they all reiterated that whether I decide to continue to work with them or not, they’ll resign and terminate my previous employer. To bridge the desire to work with them and the guilty feeling of taking on these accounts barely 2 weeks after I’ve resigned, I told them that I would only be willing to consider once they’ve resigned and terminated the contract with my previous employer. They did just that!

It certainly feels like that everything is being laid out in front of me. I don’t really have to pursue anything. I just have to take on the opportunity or not!

Another thing that really helped me decide is when I found out that my former boss is bad mouthing me with the said clients. She even went as far as concocting an outrageous lie. But she further dig her own grave when one time she, thru sms, was bad mouthing me with a client saying that she was just on the phone with me and that I said this and that. Little did she know that at that time I was having a late lunch with a said client. The same time she said that I was just on the phone with her. If I was on the phone the client would have known and heard because I never left her side for about 2 hours.

When I found out what she was doing, I realized that while I should be forever grateful of all the things that I learned from her. But I should not feel bad about leaving her!

Goddess Tara made sure that my liberation will be swift and she provided me with an opportunity to do what I really love to do.